The present invention relates to a connector connection structure for electrically connecting first and second mating connectors together.
To enhance the connectability of a multi-pole connector having many terminals that present a large connecting resistance, there has been proposed a structure, for example, in Japanese Utility Model Unexamined Publication No. 3-126379. The proposed connector structure includes an operating member having a manipulation portion operable by the operator, and a cam plate for driving a pair of connectors in a direction to connect them together. The manipulation portion amplifies a driving force inputted thereto and converts the driving force into a connecting force for connecting the two connectors together. Thus, the two connectors are connected together using this particular operating member.
In the above connector connection structure, the driving force of the manipulation portion driven by the operator is amplified by the operating member, and is converted into the connecting force for connecting the two connectors together. There is an advantage that even in a multi-pole connector, which exhibits a large connecting resistance, the pair of connectors can be positively connected together. However, after housings of the two connectors are provisionally engaged with each other, the two connectors must be shifted into a completely-connected condition by driving the manipulation portion of the operating member, thus requiring a two-stage operation. Consequently, there is a problem in that the two-stage connecting operation is troublesome.
The above two-stage connecting operation is particularly troublesome when one of the two connectors is mounted on a distal end portion of an electronic unit, such as a meter unit or an air-conditioning unit on an instrument panel of an automobile. The manipulation portion of the operating member cannot be driven after the electronic unit is assembled on the instrument panel. Therefore, assemblage of the electronic unit must be completed after the connectors are connected together, resulting in an assembling operation that is quite troublesome.